97. Public Housing

If you havea low income,are elderly,or are disabled,there area number ofpublic housing optionsin the United States.Public housing optionsare runby the federal, state,and city government agencies.Living in public housingis often called"living in the projects",but this isa negative termbased on stereotypes.Not all public housing optionsmean living in huge,run-down buildingswith lots of crime.

Eligibility for public housingis based ona number of factors.One factor isyour annual gross income,meaning how much moneyyou makein a year.Another factor isif you are elderlyor have a disability.Another factortaken into considerationis your U.S. citizenshipor eligibleimmigration status.Most public housing optionsare only availableto U.S. citizensor U.S. legal residents.Like with any rental,your referencesare checkedto make sureyou and your familywill be good tenants.This meanslooking atyour credit historyand your criminal record.People with criminal recordsare usually bannedor not allowedto use public housing options.

To find outif you are eligiblefor public housing,you need to visita government housingassistance officeclose to you.You can findyour local housingassistance officeby checking the yellow pagesor by looking online.You will have tofill out an application.On the applicationyou will need to listthe names, gender,and date of birthof all peoplewho would be livingin the house or apartment.